Thankful Thursday - 11/21/13 - The Schoolhouse Review Crew

For the past two years we have been blessed to be a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, the reviewing arm of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. We have tried many different curriculums and been given wonderful opportunities to see things first, often as a PDF or galley copy.

Being on the Crew takes time and a lot of hard work. It is worth it! To tell the truth, I'm pretty sure the girls do more of the work than I do. I do a lot more of the reporting. I try to have them write up their impressions of the products we are reviewing, but sometimes they just tell me and I write it into the review. 

I have learned a lot about blogging while on the Crew. This is a wonderful, caring group of about 200-250 Moms who share their thoughts on products, and share their knowledge of blogging with the other members.

The Crew has been a support group to me, and a place to ask honest questions. Locally, I have many friends and acquaintances who homeschool. I am blessed in having those nearby. But sometimes, you just want to ask other people who have a similar teaching style about a particular product. This is where the Crew becomes invaluable to me. When you visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew website, you can click the links to read all of the reviews from the past two years. I like this option because as I read the other members' reviews, I get a feel for how a particular product worked in their home. I can find out if it is geared towards those who like Unit Studies, Classical Education, workbooks, or a Charlotte Mason style of learning.

If you've never read through any reviews but ours, I would encourage you to take some time and really read through reviews you are curious about. Sometimes the Crew reviews for well known vendors, like Math-U-See or Apologia. Sometimes we work with lesser known vendors who carry wonderful products.

Before the Crew, I had not heard of Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns or Science For High School, but they became some of our favorite reviews. If you want to read through any of our Crew reviews from this year, just click the 'TOS Reviews' link on the right side of the blog.

This month a lot of people are focusing on being Thankful. I would like to remind you to be thankful everyday, every month, every year. We are so blessed.

Today I am focusing on being thankful for the Crew. Tomorrow? Who knows, you'll have to check back in then!